Faced with shops full of food and other goods swathed in plastic, families across the world are trying to reduce its use and recycle wherever possible to cut down its impact on the environment.
Reuters photographers met people from Athens to Singapore trying to play their part as the war on plastics becomes a hot political topic and governments work to outlaw single-use items such as drinking straws and cotton buds.
Karen Downie (2nd R) and her family pose for a portrait in Pitlochry, Scotland, Britain, May 27, 2018. ReutersEight million tonnes of plastic - bottles, packaging and other waste - are dumped into the ocean every year, killing marine life and entering the human food chain, the United Nations Environment Programme said in December.
Eri sits with her husband Tatsuya and three-month-old daughter Sara. ReutersThe impact hit home for Eri Sato, 32, when she lived in Canada and volunteered to clear up debris swept across the ocean from Japan, where she now lives in Yokohama, after the devastating earthquake and tsunami there in March 2011.
One week's worth of plastic waste, used and collected by the Sato family, is displayed in Tokyo, Japan, May 23, 2018. Reuters"It was the first time I realised how plastic waste pollutes the oceans and beaches all over the world. I think there’s no escaping the plastic waste," she said.
How to cut down and eventually eradicate it is the question.
Alexandra Patrikiou, (2nd L), and Vassilis Lyritsis, pose for a portrait with their children in Athens. Reuters"Since plastic is dominating our daily life, it would be very difficult to stop using it. But, if someone somehow makes it like a habit, we think we could stop buying altogether," said Alexandra Patrikiou, 39, in the Greek capital Athens, who works hard to recycle paper and glass and buy recycled products.
One week's worth of plastic waste, used and collected by the Lyritsis family, is displayed in Athens, Greece, May 25, 2018. ReutersHer comments were echoed by Brandy Wilbur in Wenham, Massachusetts.
Brandy Wilbur, 44, her husband Anthony Wilbur, 45, and their children Sophie,12, and Andrew, nine pose at their home. Reuters"When shopping, I do try to buy products with minimal packaging, but that is challenging too, everything is packaged," the 44-year-old said.
One week's worth of plastic waste, used and collected by the Wilbur family, is displayed in Wenham, Massachusetts, US, May 27, 2018. ReutersWhile governments and retailers started clamping down on plastic bags through bans and small fees more than a decade ago, the focus has now increasingly turned to eradicating throwaway items such as straws and take-out food and drink packaging.
Audrey Gan (C), 31, poses for a portrait with her husband Leow Yee Shiang, 30, and their three-year-old son Kyler in Singapore, May 21, 2018. Reuters"It is really the small, single-use plastics that stick around for a long time and leach into everything," Audrey Gan, 31, said in Singapore.
One week's worth of plastic waste, used and collected by Audrey Gan's family, is displayed in Singapore, May 22, 2018. Reuters"If we are really craving for a drink of bubble tea, we bring our own containers to avoid the plastic cup and straw they come in."
Mughda Joshi (right), stands with her husband Tanmay, son Kabir, grandfather-in-law, Manohar and mother-in-law Vandana. ReutersLike other families Reuters spoke to, the Joshi family in Mumbai has already started taking measures such as using bamboo toothbrushes, unpackaged shampoo bars rather than bottles and taking containers to restaurants to bring home any left-overs.
One week's worth of plastic waste, used and collected by the Joshi family. Reuters"I carry my own spoon, fork and stainless steel straw to avoid single use plastic cutlery," Mugdha Tanmay Joshi, 32, said.
For some, it is a personal battle, overcoming the preconceptions of others as they try to do their bit.
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Tatiana Schnittke, 39, Yaniv Ben-Dov, 44, and their son Jonathan, 2, pose in their apartment. Reuters"They say ‘are you part of this green movement', ... They don’t understand it. Also not using plastic bags for vegetables is considered disgusting, they hate it ... but I still do it," said Tatiana Schnittke, 39, in Jaffa, Israel.
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War on plastic
Lauren Singer, 27, a former environmental studies major, poses at Package Free's headquarters in Brooklyn. Singer is the founder and owner of Package Free Shop, a business that sells products with a mission to create a positive environmental impact with little to zero plastic waste, and is also the founder and creator of the environmental educational blog Trash is for Tossers. Reuters
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Alexander Raduenz along with his partner Berit and his children Zoe and Yuna pose for a portrait inside their rented apartment in Berlin, Germany, May 28, 2018. Reuters
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Roshani Shrestha, 57, and her husband, Indra Lal Shrestha, 62, pose for a portrait with their sons in Kathmandu. 'I give back the plastic bags that I have to the vegetable vendors so that they can reuse them rather than using a new one,' says Roshani. Reuters
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'We would use alternatives to plastic since it helps the environment but it is not possible since most of the products come either in plastic wrap or some other forms of plastic,' Roshani says. 'We don’t use single-use plastics like cups, plates, spoon or forks.' Reuters
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One week's worth of plastic waste, used and collected by the Compas Ponce family, is displayed in Arriate, southern Spain, May 29, 2018. Reuters
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One week's worth of plastic waste, used and collected by the Laura Barrado and her family, is displayed in Alpedrete, near Madrid, Spain, May 29, 2018. Reuters
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One week's worth of plastic waste, used and collected by Gaspar Antuna's family, is displayed in Madrid, Spain, May 30, 2018. Reuters
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Laura Barrado (L), 44, Agricultural Engineer poses with her family at their home in Alpedrete, near Madrid, Spain, May 29, 2018. Reuters
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Gaspar Antuna, Elena Vilabrille and their son Teo pose for a portrait in the Lavapies neighbourhood of Madrid, Spain, May 30, 2018. Reuters
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